NO CONTAINERS!!!!

Another day another typical intermodal...Or is it?

SD80MAC 5115, an ex-Conrail unit, leads the way. When Conrail was split up in 1996, the AP&W got the units, since neither NS or CSX was very much interested in such 'oddball' units. The AP&W was the only other railroad to purchase the SD80MAC, so they were a better fit for them.

The Conrail-spec red class lights are prominent on the front end of the unit; a feature which distinguishes the former Conrail SD80MACs from the AP&W's units.

Trailing 5115 is Missouri Pacific-painted UP 1982 -and a lot of empty cars. Both are unusual; while UP engines are actually quite common on the AP&W, the 'Heritage' units are not. And most intermodal trains are pretty full with containers and/or trailers.

The accountant's nightmare; the entire train is empty! While empty cars -even intermodal cars -are not uncommon in this slowed-down economy, for an entire train to be without loads is very unusual. In all probability, these cars are either being moved for better utilization due to traffic variations, or perhaps some of them are in need of repairs. Still, at least some of them could be carrying a container or two.

Later, a loaded intermodal train passed through, full of trailers. Now THAT will make the bean-counters happy!

THE BACK OF THE LAYOUT

While playing around with my camera one day, I took these photos of the back side of the layout -the side I'm trying to hide from the front!

This view shows a unit coal train on the rear trackage. The Bailey Building can be seen in the distance, with the Delta Building next to it.

A unit ethanol train is rolling on the other track. At the top of the photo, you can see where I had to trim the backdrop to clear the ceiling joist (but left the 'tab' in place!). On the left is a group of trees I recently put there, despite not being easily seen from the front.

If the layout were still in the hobby shop, this would be the view down the side. The camera flash really makes those silver hoppers stand out!

The back of the houses on Main Street can be seen here, along with the group of trees planted for the 'green' of it.

A final look. I bought the trees on E-Bay, only to find that they were too bright green to go with the forest at other end of the layout. So I put them here to enhance the view when I'm operating in the center of the layout. Since I still have another pack of trees to use, I'll probably put more back here after painting the board. The trains do look good rolling along the backdrop, and the trees add to it.

GRAIN MOVEMENT PT2

Continuing last week's 'session' (mis-behaving computer!!!)...

Even more ADM hoppers!

This interesting car was in the mix as well, with a 'tagged' AP hopper behind it.

Another hopper leased from GATX, and a CHTT-marked car. In the real world, the CHTT marks belong to the Union Pacific, but on my layout, they belong to the AP&W. They originally belonged to the Chicago Heights Terminal Transfer railroad, which was a subsidiary of the Chicago & Eastern Illinois. In 1967, the C&EI was split up between the Missouri Pacific (western half) and the Louisville & Nashville (eastern half). The CHTT went to the MoPac, and today the UP uses the marks on many of its leased freight cars (along with the CMO marks seen on the earlier UP cars in the train). Of course, in my 'revised history', the C&EI was bought by the Appalachian Railroad instead, and now the AP&W owns the reporting marks!

At the end of the train, are two BNSF hoppers, a relatively small number. Between the BNSF and it's two predecessors, the Burlington Northern (BN) and the Santa Fe (SF), one will often find at least a half-dozen cars -and sometimes half a train!

The E.O.T. (End Of Train device) flashes as the train heads westward to the Midwest. How many of these cars will come back east with loads of grain?

GRAIN MOVEMENT

Along with the joint Gateway Cherokee intermodal train, the AP&W and the KCS also frequently team up on grain movements between the Midwest and the Northeast, especially in the fall.

Not only are two KCS engines on the head-end of this east-bound unit grain train, but the first three cars are KCS hoppers in the new image scheme as well!

After the KCS hoppers, are these Union Pacific hoppers. Because they are leased, they wear CMO reporting marks. The brown one is leased from GATX.

The train also has these Illinois Central hoppers. These cars now work for the Canadian National, who bought the Illinois Central in 1999.

The other Canadian railroad, CP Rail, is also represented in the train.

Agricultural giant ADM has a large fleet of freight cars to move its products across the continent, and the train has a number of ADM hoppers representative of this fleet.

TOWN LIFE PT11

Another day, another tie-up on Main St! Once again, utility work is being done, resulting in traffic slow-downs.

There is no sidewalk on this side of the street(!) so getting to the buried lines is easy. A flatbed truck and a pickup carry plenty of supplies for the work to be done. Those full-body suits with reflective tape come in handy when working on the side of a busy street!

A woodchip truck heads into town with a load for R&O Packaging. Note the holes cut into the side of the trailer; a common modification for converted trailers.

An Allied Van Lines tractor trailer turns onto Main St. from Market St. Since it's a container and not a van trailer, it is likely carrying a load from one of the downtown warehouses.

The new pick-up/delivery van for the Salvation Army Thrift Store is here! Parked outside, it awaits the call to duty.